Posted on July 20 2024
After experiencing 90 degree heat, tornado warnings, severe thunderstorms, gale force winds, pop up thunderstorms, and a frontal system with high pressure and a brisk NW wind, all in one week, today was finally a perfect day to be on the river, as the DRC blog likes to tell us.
Had opened the windows that have screens last night and had to start a fire in the wood stove this morning, (54 outside, 68 inside. Was amazed to find the temperature inside the fishing camp on my return tonight was 80 degrees. Windows are open again and the AC unit is a humming.
The fishing - Let me say this - The sulfurs are hatching and the fish are eating them, but you can't swing at the high hard one, you can't go for the pin out of the knot weed, and no one will be able to dunk on a Delaware River sulfur eating trout. To catch A fish on sulfurs right now, you need to be able to wade quietly, cast accurately, have good flies, and be able to consistently put them, (drag free), in front of feeding trout, (lots of times), hoping to find that elusive but dumb fish.
I know a guy who took up fly fishing to catch bone fish. It took him several years to catch one but he did it. This isn't quite as hard, but almost. If you're new to dry fly fishing they have medicine that will make it seem like fun, if you're veteran angler, lie to the doctor, and he'll give you the meds.
I was there Monday evening to Friday morning and A-119 summed it up perfectly, what a wild week of weather! Thursday was the toughest for me, not many bugs or rises, and only one fish hooked and lost after an aerial maneuver. I failed to go to the bench that night so I owe it a session on my next visit.
And thank you for the bone fish story, it puts things in perspective!
Angler119-Thanks for your report.. I didn’t make it up yesterday. Hope to be on the UWB next Friday. Good luck Dennis. Can’t wait to hear how you did. Ed
I’ve fished a lot of places and in my opinion late season west branch sulfur feeders are toughest trout in the world to catch. Great when you fools one though! Do you think the reservoir drawdown (already at 72%) will put an early end to the sulfur hatch? I believe at some point even the release water starts to warm up when it gets so low.
A119 Good and honest report!! I’ll be down over the weekend and post my result!! Keep the advice coming!!!